National Velodrome and Badminton Centre given green light by Ministers Martin and Byrne

• Ireland’s first-ever indoor cycling track to be developed at the National Sports Campus

• 12-court state of the art badminton centre to be included in new national sports facility

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, and the Minister of State for Sport, Physical Education and the Gaeltacht, Thomas Byrne TD, today gave approval for the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre project to proceed to tender.

The facility will comprise of a 250 metre cycling track and up to 12 Badminton Courts in the in-track area, in addition to spectator seating and ancillary facilities. It will be located in the National Sports Campus in Blanchardstown and is scheduled to be completed in 2027 which will mean that our track cyclists, in particular, will no longer need to travel abroad to train.

Minister Martin said: “Minister Byrne and I understand the value of supporting our athletes as they prepare for international competitions and we are committed to ensuring that they have the best training facilities to reach their goals. As we proudly support Team Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris, the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will support the next generation of athletes. The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide state-of-the-art track cycling facilities for our cycling athletes who currently have to travel abroad for both training and competition, as well as providing the sport of badminton with a permanent home featuring integrated training, gym and medical facilities. The funding provided to build these training facilities will allow athletes in both sports to reach optimal performance levels on the international stage. Our National Sports Campus is already a world leading athlete focused facility and this next phase of its development will further enhance Ireland’s sporting infrastructure.

In addition, Minister Byrne said: “As we cheer on our Team Ireland athletes at the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris, we understand that continued Government investment is essential to increasing participation levels in all sports, across all sectors of society. In order to achieve our participation targets, we must continue to provide world-class sporting facilities. The addition of the National Velodrome and Badminton Centre to our National Sports Campus shows our commitment to supporting athletes from the grassroots to the high performance level. An ambitious vision for the development of a national sports centre of excellence is set out under the National Sports Campus Masterplan and the Government will continue to support Sport Ireland in bringing this vision to fruition”.

Sport Ireland CEO Dr. Úna May said: “This is an exhilarating next step in advancing what is already a world-leading location for sport. The National Velodrome and Badminton Centre will provide our athletes with top-class training facilities and will allow us to host competitions right here in Ireland, significantly enhancing the high-performance environment on the Sport Ireland Campus.

“It’s exactly the sort of continued investment that is absolutely crucial for boosting participation from grassroots levels to elite athletes. We’re all enjoying the Olympics, and this will only enhance high-performing Irish athletes’ chances of international, Olympic and Paralympic medals in the future.

“This announcement really reaffirms the Government’s commitment to bringing the ambitious Sport Ireland Campus Masterplan to life. We are grateful to the Government for their ongoing investment in sport and can’t wait to see the positive impact this will have across both cycling and badminton.”